And a Devil to Dance a Dirge With
by Mek
Summary: When revenge is the only thing you have left, you'll do anything you can to achieve it. ::sequel to A Prelude. Old American West AU, future Deidara/Sasuke::
1. The Redhaired Gunslinger

_Disclaimer: The series Naruto and all of its characters do not belong to me. I am merely borrowing them for the duration of this story, and receive no profit from it._

Chapter One  
_The Redhaired Gunslinger_

The dirt from the street had long since claimed it's place on the saloon floor, caked between the cracks and corners of the room. The bartender barely looked around, sitting behind the bar, eyes closed and leaning against the back wall. The only sound to be heard was the creaking of the door as the wind blew against it, the harsh breathing of the three men inside, the clink of glass against wood as drinks were raised and then lowered.

The boy had been sitting like that for a while now: stiff, still as a statue, silent as death. If not for the movement of his hair, the rise and fall of his chest, he could have been mistaken for stone. It amused Deidara that even with three weeks familiarity, the boy still acted as if at any moment he would be set upon. He supposed it couldn't be helped.

"Stop staring," Sasuke said suddenly, slanting his eyes at Deidara.

A corner of Deidara's mouth quirked up. "Why?"

"It's annoying."

Deidara chuckled. "Everything annoys you. Deal with it."

The boy huffed, but otherwise stayed silent. Deidara leaned back in his chair to watch the entrance.

It had been a few months since he had been here last. Though he had no reason to believe that his contact had left town, the organization was known to keep their people moving. It was possible he had been sent elsewhere. He could only hope.

Mostly, because it would be irritating if someone like Kisame showed up instead.

Screaming hinges caused Deidara to straighten in his chair. He grinned.

The red-haired man looked surprised to see him. He returned the grin before sauntering in their direction.

"Deidara, long time," he said as he sat down.

The blond shrugged. "Not so long."

The man glanced briefly at Sasuke. "I take it you're looking for Itachi." Deidara nodded.

Sasuke frowned. "How did you know that?"

They ignored him.

"About time," the man said.

"Took me longer to get here than I thought it would."

"Hmm." He turned to look at Sasuke. "Boy, go get me a drink."

The boy's look of apoplectic rage amused Deidara to no end.

"I am not a servant!" he hissed in Japanese.

An amused smirk crossed the man's lips. "And I don't have to tell you two where he's at, either."

Sasuke spluttered, before snapping his head to Deidara. His glare could have melted ice. "He prefers whiskey," Deidara added helpfully.

Sasuke just stared at him, stunned, before wrenching himself out of his seat and storming to the bar. The bartender, who had been watching their table silently since the man's entrance, nodded slightly to the redhead. The man returned the gesture before turning serious eyes on the blond.

"You've been out of the city for three weeks, Deidara. Three weeks. Che, I thought higher of you than that."

He shrugged. "It was hard to get around without anyone noticing. Especially with the boy."

The man cocked his head to the side, observing him. "Itachi knows you have him."

Deidara titled his head back, smiling. "Good."

The man frowned. "They're looking for you. I've been issued orders to kill on sight, and capture the boy."

The blond tensed, watching him. "Anyone else in town?"

"No. Lucky for you."

Deidara relaxed. "Yes."

Sasuke's return halted anything else the man wanted to say. He slammed the cup down on the table, before seating himself. He sat there, upright and rigid, fuming. "_Who the fuck are you, anyway?_" the boy snarled.

"Sasori," the man replied lazily. He picked up his cup, smirking at Deidara before taking a drink. He looked back at Sasuke. "So, you any good with a gun?"

The boy narrowed his eyes at the man, and then sneered. "I don't need to be."

Sasori cocked an eyebrow at him, looking at him as one might someone very young, and very stupid. "Is that so?"

The boy stared back, challenging and proud.

Deidara peered at his nails. He noticed, with a frown, that one of them had split a bit down the middle. He tried to tear it off.

A chair scrapped against the floor, and then a gunshot went off near his ear. There was an exclamation, a clang, and then the sound of something heavy striking wood. The blond looked back up.

Sasuke was ghost white and standing, cradling his right hand, staring at the redhead in horror. Sasori was still sitting, and the sound of metal against wood as he placed his gun down on the table was much like the sound that the small, bladed weapon across from it had made when it fell.

"Stupid child, you're not going to get anywhere with that attitude." And Sasori drained the last of his whiskey.

**-x-**

"Make yourselves at home."

It had been Sasori who had decided that they couldn't go forward without Sasuke knowing the very basics of gunfighting. Bad manners, he called it.

"Besides," he said, "it's not like they'll ever let you close enough to actually use those pretty weapons of yours. I'd rather not send you two over without a chance. Deidara still owes me ten bucks."

"It's always about the money with him," Deidara told Sasuke sadly. "It's as if he doesn't trust me."

"_I_ don't trust you," Sasuke pointed out.

Details.

So now the duo stood at the threshold of what could only nominally be considered a home. Deidara went inside and flopped down in an armchair. Dust and dirt exploded from within it, settling upon the pile of dirt already present. It was only through sheer will power that Deidara did not sneeze. He was afraid he'd miss out on Sasuke's expression if he did so.

The boy had not bothered to enter the house. He remained standing, stiff at the door. It might have been the dirt keeping Sasuke at bay, but Deidara was pretty sure it was the smell.

"You _live_ here?" Sasuke asked Sasori incredulously.

Sasori shrugged. "I try not to."

The boy stared at him, aghast. "I can't sleep here!"

"Suit yourself, then. Watch out for the coyotes, though; those will be the ones who look like wolves."

"Look like foxes to me," Deidara muttered.

"Why would I need to worry about these... coyotes?" The boy asked, looking at the two men in confusion.

"Because you'll never make it back to town before dark," Sasori said. "Even if you did, no one would actually put you up. You look too much like a Chinaman."

Sasuke's expression hardened, and he made as if he were leaving. But then he stopped, and suddenly flushed. "I... I have no outdoor gear."

He looked as if it had killed him to admit that.

Sasori turned to frown at Deidara. The blond smiled back.

"He didn't think he'd need it," Deidara said.

Sasori exhaled slowly. "Che." He turned back to Sasuke. "Well. As I see it, you have two options: sleep out with what you've got on, or borrow a set of my gear."

The boy looked at Sasori for a moment, before reaching in and grasping the door handle. He closed the door. Deidara snickered.

"The place isn't that bad," Sasori said darkly, stomping into a different room.

"Yes, what is that lovely smell my nose detects?" Deidara shouted merrily in the direction Sasori had gone.

A long string of curses was his only reply.

The blond relaxed in his chair, head turning towards the window. A finger drew pictures in the dust on the arm of his seat as he watched the sunlight fade outside. He didn't mind the dirt, though he found it odd. Sasori was not one for filth.

The sounds of movement drifted through the home to him.

He looked around the room. The room was almost uniformly brown, the color enforced by the layer of grime present on everything. For a moment, he imagined it was sand, and not dirt, but then his eyes caught on a reflective surface, and he lost that train of thought. He stood up, and walked over to it.

It was a picture.

Deidara used the cuff of his shirt to wipe the dirt off of the glass. A Japanese woman looked out at him, the bodice of her dress low, her face covered by too much make up. But she was smiling, and her eyes were kind, but her pale skin looked worn. He traced the line of her face.

He cleaned the frame up as best he could, and then placed it back where he had found it. He returned to his chair, and stared at the picture until the light had finally faded away and there was nothing left but the dark.

**-x-**

The targets had been set up on the fence posts closest to the house. It wasn't more than twenty paces away from the porch, and when Sasori had Sasuke stand in the middle of that distance, the young man immediately took offense. There had been a small row about that, with Sasuke refusing to move unless the distance was increased. Sasori had ended that by aiming at him and telling him if he didn't move his ass he wouldn't have an ass to move.

It was after Sasuke had done what he was told to do that the current issue came up.

"You actually have to hold a gun to learn how to use it, boy."

"How do I know that thing won't infect me with anything?" Sasuke snapped, and then scowled. "And my name is not boy."

The cleanliness issue.

"Your name is whatever the fuck I say it is until you've earned otherwise."

Sasuke's scowl deepened.

Deidara wasn't sure where Sasuke had decided to spend his night. All he knew was that he had found the boy sitting outside the door, when he had stepped out for some air shortly after sunrise. The boy had been fixedly staring forward, but turned his face towards him when he heard the door open. They had stared at each other for a moment, Sasuke without expression and Deidara with entirely too much, and then the young man had told him not to worry about his breakfast because he had already made his own. Deidara had shrugged, stretched, and gone back inside.

Neither of the two men had emerged again until after noon.

Deidara now sat in an old wooden chair Sasori had managed to dig out of the house. He watched the two from underneath shade of his large hat and porch awning. Sasori and Sasuke glared at each other. It was obvious, from the convulsive tightening and relaxing of his grip on the weapon, that the redhead was close to breaking point.

"It's clean," Deidara yelled finally. Wouldn't do to let Sasori blow the little idiot's brains out.

The boy glared at Sasori for a few moments more before straightening. "You could have told me that sooner," Sasuke snarled at Deidara, and then snatched the gun out of Sasori's hand.

The dry look Sasori shot Deidara still looked distinctly annoyed, but the blond wasn't too worried now; if it came down to it, he knew how to avoid a fight, and if Sasuke wasn't fighting against Sasori, the redhead would do nothing. He knew how important the boy was.

Sasuke set himself up in front of the targets, and then glared at the redhead.

"Any more complaints?" Sasori asked sourly. Sasuke remained silent. "Fine."

He walked up behind the boy, and placed both hands on his shoulders. Sasuke stiffened.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke snapped, a panicked edge to his voice.

Sasori ignored him, and moved him slightly to the side. "Your feet need to be further apart," he said sternly.

"What?"

He stepped away and in front of Sasuke. "Like this," he said. He moved himself slightly, and looked back at Sasuke expectedly. Deidara wondered if it would be apparent to the boy that in his current stance, the redhead had his feet firmly planted on the ground.

Sasuke looked at Sasori, warily, and then took one step back.

Sasori started rubbing at his temple. He glanced back at the porch a moment, before looking at the dark-haired young man.

"Do you know what a gun does, at least?" He asked him.

"It shoots... things," Sasuke said, unsure.

Sasori stared at Sasuke. Several expressions crossed his face, before settling on horrified disbelief. He looked up, and then he looked down. Finally, he looked at Deidara.

"Months," he said.

Deidara shrugged and smiled.

_end of chapter one_

Author's Notes: First off, I'd like to thank those who reviewed and rec'd the prequel to this fic; I am so very, very appreciative, there are just no words. I am always deeply grateful when someone leaves me a review. Any kind of feedback is always well received, and I just appreciate those who take a moment to let me know what you think.

I don't know how long this WIP will be, but I do know where it is headed, and how it ends. This isn't usually the case with things I've written in the past, so I'm hoping this means that this fic will one day be finished. I sincerely hope those who read it now and like it will still be reading when it's done.


	2. Old Debts

Chapter Two  
_Old Debts_

There lay, on the ground, an old wooden tub. Within were a pile of grime encrusted dishes, parts of which, where the grime was least, glinted under the morning sun. They lay in a pile, in the middle of the tub, surrounded by brown water. Like an island made up of refuse, surrounded by filth, reveling in it's horrific glory.

Sasori stared down, as if the sight personally offended him.

He looked up at Deidara, and glared. "You could help me, you know."

The blond cocked an eyebrow from where he stood, slouched against the door frame. "Isn't it bad manners for a guest to be put to work?"

"Not when he's a freeloading jackass like you," Sasori snapped, squatting on the outside of the tub.

Deidara grinned. "Then why bother asking me in the first place?"

The other man gave him one last glare before turning that same look to the task before him. Deidara chuckled, before turning his face to the sky.

He closed his eyes. The sun was warm on his face.

"Maa... it is a beautiful day," Deidara mused. "A pity we're stuck here."

"Speak for yourself," Sasori said. "I'm heading into town after I get done here. If I got two freeloaders to feed, I'm going to need more supplies than this."

"_Two_ freeloaders?" Deidara said, amused. "I could have sworn that the boy fended for himself last night."

"Yeah, well..." Sasori said before devolving into mumbles.

Conversation halted after that, and Deidara could hear in the distance, the sounds that the boy's small weapons made as they hit their target. It was a cacophony, to his mind, played in tandem with the clink of the dishes as Sasori washed them, the redhead's mumbles under his breath a background noise. For a moment, he could imagine himself elsewhere.

"I suppose you're right," Sasori said suddenly, jerking the blond out of his thoughts. "The boy has taken care of his own needs. And I do like a guest that doesn't bother me... hell, you're right, I didn't even have to feed him last night."

"I think he was worried about being poisoned," Deidara replied, leaning his head back against the door frame.

Sasori snorted. "That didn't seem to stop you."

"I still owe you ten bucks."

Another snort. "As if that would stop me."

Deidara grinned. "But then you wouldn't get your money."

"I'm sure there's something on you worth ten bucks."

Finally, he opened his eyes to smirk down at Sasori. "There's a reason I still owe you ten bucks."

Sasori gave him a wry look. "You might think that, but I still say you have something hidden on you."

The blond shrugged. As Sasori went back to his work, Deidara looked out at the other end of the small enclosure.

The boy was shirtless in the morning sun, the light reflecting off a faint layer of sweat. It gave him a small glow, an ethereal quality that he knew Sasuke would not appreciate. Deidara admired the effect as his mind wandered back to the previous evening.

It might not have been a good idea, leaving the two of them together after they got off to such a rough start. Sasori had stormed back into the house in a right fit when he got done with Sasuke, falling on the housework like a man possessed. It had been amusing for a while, before the man's unending anger had started to irritate him. He had retreated to the front room, all the while the sounds of moving dishes and muttered oaths moved freely between the rooms.

Though at no point did his commentary (on his disgust for Sasuke, his forbearers, _their_ forbearers, and ungrateful assholes who dumped their problems on him) not amuse him.

A loud thump on the floor, the sound of dishes crashing, followed by a sudden silence had finally alerted Deidara to the fact that Sasori had passed out. He had taken a quick peek into the kitchen to see the other man sprawled out halfway between one of the counters and the basin he now waged war against. White and blue dishes laid in pieces around him, ringing his head like a crown. He had left him there, only to be woke by the crunch of pottery and Sasori's loud cursing.

"You shouldn't let the boy get his way," Sasori commented. Deidara looked down to see the redhead looking at Sasuke, before turning those thoughtful eyes to him. "Not if he's going to be any use... he needs to learn how to follow orders."

Deidara shrugged. "It hasn't been that long since we met," he said. "I should have thought about this more, but I didn't think I'd ever get the opportunity. It's just one of those things."

Sasori was silent for a moment as he stopped working. "You might want to take a shot at training him," he said slowly. "You're not as good as I am, but that doesn't mean much when teaching someone the basics." He looked up at him. "Not to mention, he listens to you."

Deidara looked at the other man, before turning a thoughtful gaze to the young man.

"There's also the fact that I might not be here all the time. I have a cover to maintain."

That surprised Deidara, though he realized it probably shouldn't. "Is it fine for you to be here right now?"

"Should be... the Organization is aware that I make the occasional trip elsewhere. But it'll arouse too much suspicion if I'm gone for too long or for too often." He sighed.

Deidara was silent.

"You managed to ruin a lot of my credibility, Deidara," Sasori said, a hard edge in his voice. "You, and that fucking stunt of yours. It was hell managing to get Pein to see that you were worth keeping alive. And now..." He jerked his chin at Sasuke. "Now you nabbed that little bastard, and once again, you expect me to clean up after you." He threw his rag down and stood up. "Hell if I know why I keep doing it."

And he walked back into the house, shoving his way past the blond, the dishes only half done.

"Fuck," Deidara said, turning into the house only to see Sasori stomp out of the kitchen and further into his home. The sounds of feet pounding on the stairs echoed back to him, and he cursed a second time; he knew better than to follow him up there.

He'd never been allowed up there.

"Fuck," he said again, slumping against a counter. His eyes trailed the room, taking in the washed counters, the swept floor, the dust free shelves. Sasori really had done a good job cleaning up the night before.

He rubbed his eyes.

He'd had a point, Deidara knew. As much as he resented him for it, as much as he still wanted nothing more than to rip Itachi's fucking head off... the truth of the matter was that he hadn't been strong enough, and it had only been Sasori's intervention that had saved his life. He owed the man, big time.

And he couldn't count on him sticking around just because he was fond of Deidara.

The blond walked to the door, looking back out at the kid.

The boy's tricks were good, he knew, but they wouldn't be enough. Itachi was sly, and he was extremely skilled, and his partner wasn't someone to cross either. He had know, from the moment he had laid eyes on Sasuke, that the only way for him to succeed was to get the boy trained well, and trained quickly. A ninja does not a gunslinger make, and Itachi had had all the training that Sasuke had had... and more. He would know what to look for. His only chance, Sasuke's only chance, would be if the boy could meet his brother on equal footing.

He had hoped to count on Sasori to train him, but not if it would jeopardize the other man. He owed him too much.

He sighed and walked out of the house, and towards Sasuke.

"Oi, brat!"

The boy paused, but did not turn to look at him. Deidara admired the way his arm moved back before moving forward, the way his weapon left his hand. It moved in one continuous motion, a wave that washed in and out. His weapon, under the morning sun, gleamed a brilliant silver; a small point of light that connected the wave to the shore.

"You smell," he said cheerfully. _That_ caused the boy to look at him, his hair swinging with him as he whipped himself around to glare at the blond.

"What do you want?" he virtually hissed at Deidara.

The blond grinned and tilted his head. "Thought I might help you continue your gun practice." His head moved towards the house, and he glanced back at the abandoned dishes. "Especially while he's busy."

Sasuke had followed his gaze, before turning back to him with a suspicious look. "He's not even there."

"I did say he was busy," Deidara replied, amused.

Sasuke studied him for another moment. "I don't need your help," he spat finally, and turned around to continue his knife throwing.

The weapon never made it to the post. Sasuke dropped the weapon he had been about to throw in shock.

"I'm a piss poor shot compared to that bastard brother of yours," Deidara said, ignoring the gun in his hand and the ache caused by its firing. "So don't think you'll be able to get away with just using those pretty little weapons. He won't let you close enough."

Neither said anything for a moment. Sasuke remained standing with his back turned to Deidara. Finally, he turned around once more, a bitter gleam in his eyes. Deidara, in that moment, felt connected to the boy in a way he hadn't felt connected to anyone in months, if not years. He stared at him.

"Why are you even bothering, then?" Sasuke said, and the blond turned his gaze away from him.

He shrugged. "Someone has to."

He could feel Sasuke's starring on him. "_I don't need your pity_," he snarled in his own language.

Deidara looked back at him, and he gave him his coldest glare.

Sasuke stepped back. Deidara knew this was the first time the he had looked at him with anything other than amusement or mockery.

"Don't think I'm doing this for your sake, little boy," he said coolly. He took a step closer to the black haired boy, his eyes holding the younger man in place. "We merely have a mutual goal, but if I thought for a second I could do this without you, I would."

Sasuke watched him now, something in his gaze that Deidara couldn't interpret. "But why me?"

He stepped back from the gaze, shrugged, grinned, reverted, and said, "Why not?"

Sasuke blinked at him for a few seconds, completely thrown. Then he sputtered. "Why... why not? What kind of reason is that?!"

He shrugged again. "Did you want those lessons, or not?"

Sasuke looked at him for just one more moment, before turning away from him. "_I should have fucking known better_," he muttered. "_I should just go home_."

Deidara frowned. "And do what? I doubt there's anything left for you there."

The boy shot him a dirty look.

"Che, fine. If this is too much for you, then you can just fucking leave." Deidara said nothing for a moment, noticing the way Sasuke had relaxed at his words, the way the grip on his weapon loosened. "But remember: your brother is already looking for you. He knows you're here. If it's a quick death you're looking for, then by all means get going."

The boy froze, his pale face draining of what little color was there to begin with. Deidara smirked.

"Or, you can remain here," he said. "Learn what you have to, and then help me bring him down."

"I hardly have a choice," Sasuke snapped. His shoulders slumped as he sighed, the first sign of anything other than anger and self righteousness in the boy. Deidara read that as defeat, and he approved.

"But I want you to teach me," he said, looking up and staring hard at the blond. "I don't like him. He's hiding something."

"And you like me?" Deidara said, surprised. He chose to ignore the comment about Sasori; the man was always up to something, but it was never anything he had to worry about.

The boy shrugged, uncomfortable. "You've been honest," he said.

Deidara blinked. "Well... I should probably get started then." He looked around. "So, where's your gun?"

The look on Sasuke's face wasn't exactly the best note to start his training on.

* * *

_Author's Notes_: omg, I owe those who have been waiting for this the biggest apology in the world. There have been a couple reasons for the delay... but the biggest one is is that this chapter was meant to be twice as long, and I'd been struggling with the second half. I had some issue earlier in the summer, got sucked into some family drama, and then into a different AU. Then was finding a job, getting a job, and then totally rewriting this chapter. This is not where the apology comes in... no, it comes from the fact that what you've just read is something I've been sitting on since July in an attempt to finish getting that second half out. Today I looked it over, and realized half of my problems was that I was trying to stretch out what didn't need to be stretched. So the second half of this chapter is now becoming chapter three, and thus, I'm finally making this chapter public.

And while you are reading this, I'll point out that I've made a forum here, which can be located through my profile, and that for any of you on LJ, I've got a personal fic comm going. Feel free to bug whenever you might find me on... I don't bite, and I love to hear from people.


	3. Observations

_Disclaimer: The series Naruto and all of its characters do not belong to me. I am merely borrowing them for the duration of this story, and receive no profit from it._

* * *

Chapter Three

_Observations_

The room was pitch black. Deidara couldn't be sure how long he had been sitting in the chair, but it felt like hours. The light from the evening's sunset had given shadows to the walls until the night had consumed them, and he knew the moon would remain hidden as it had the night before - no light to creep through the windows, no light to leave shapes on the curtains. No way to truly mark the passage of time. But the blond did not notice the dark, lost as he was in his thoughts.

Deidara had not seen Sasori again that day. He wasn't sure if it had been intentional or not, but he wasn't worried either way. The redhead would show up when he wanted to, regardless of Deidara's wishes. No, what worried him was the boy. Sasuke was turning out to be piss poor with a gun.

He'd become frustrated the day before by noon. The boy, after their chat, had been more willing to listen... but it still hadn't helped. His grip on the weapon remained awkward, and he wasn't hitting anywhere close to his targets. Deidara had finally told him to get lost around dusk. He knew if Sasuke had remained around him any longer he would have killed the little bastard for all of his wasted effort.

It shouldn't have been a surprise, considering the boy's background. Guns were still relatively new in Japan, and not many would know how to handle them. But Itachi was as much a genius with a gun as he had been with his old world weapons, and from all accounts had been considered a natural. Deidara had placed his hopes on Sasuke being the same. Disappointment was a bitch, and made Deidara a bitch in turn.

His finger tapped against the arm of his chair as he stared, unfocused, into surrounding darkness.

Why was he so bad, though? The blond couldn't help but think he was missing something about the boy, something he had overlooked. But what? And then it clicked.

What weapon was he used to? His dart blade.

And what was something a person who uses a manual weapon not have to worry about? Recoil.

Fuck. The boy had no idea how to compensate for it... which would make his aim off every single time.

"Che," Deidara said, hand coming up to cover his smile. "I really am stupid."

* * *

It was only after dawn that Deidara saw the note pinned to the kitchen door.

_Left food. See you in a week._

It wasn't signed, but the knife holding it to the wood was classic Sasori. He wondered if the other man was still pissed, or if he had thought the kitchen door was the best place for it. It did annoy him that the man had arrived and left again without saying anything to him, but it was strange he had shown up so late. He shrugged and walked out into the morning sun.

It hadn't escaped his notice, the day before, that Sasuke had already begun his weapons practice when he and Sasori had come out. And despite it not being long after dawn, he was not surprised to see the boy out already today. What did surprise him was the gun.

He still couldn't shoot for shit, though. As the young man missed his target yet again, Deidara chuckled. Sasuke looked ireally/i pissed.

"Oi, brat!" Deidara shouted as he walked out towards him. "How does futility feel?"

"Shut up!" the boy snarled, whirling to face him. The gun came with him, moving in an arch until settling in a way that might get one thinking that Sasuke was aiming at him.

Deidara grinned. "You shouldn't point things at people unless you mean it."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "What makes you think I don't?"

Deidara cocked his head. "Well, if you really do prefer Sasori to me..."

Sasuke turned bright red at that, something Deidara found interesting, and lowered the gun. "Why are you out so early?" he snapped.

"I kept hearing all these shots, and wondered why there was no screaming. I just had to find out why."

"Asshole," the boy muttered.

"Tsk," Deidara said, sauntering over to the young man. He stopped right in front of Sasuke, with barely a foot apart. "Is that any way to talk about your teacher?"

"No," Sasuke said, looking at him with a small smirk, "but you couldn't even teach a rock to sit."

Deidara looked at him. That was almost catty.

And almost surprisingly, the boy had yet to back away.

"At least I can hit the rock," Deidara replied, with a smirk of his own.

"Maybe if I was taught better, I could perform better," Sasuke said, with a challenging look.

Deidara chuckled. "Turn around, then."

Sasuke looked surprised for a moment, before turning to look back at the post he had been aiming at.

Deidara leaned over the boy's shoulder. "I want you to try again, but pay attention to the movement of your hand this time," Deidara said, softly, aware of how close he was to the young man. Sasuke had stiffened, obviously aware himself, but refusing to move.

Deidara wondered if he could get him to blush.

"I can't shoot with leaning over me," Sasuke said tightly.

Deidara laughed softly. "How better for me to observe than to be right where the action, so to speak, is happening?"

"Fine," Sasuke snapped, but Deidara had clear view of the red creeping up the boy's neck.

Sasuke, meanwhile, had raised his right arm and pointed it towards the distant post. Deidara watched as the younger man seemed to become lost in his concentration before firing... and wasn't surprised when he missed.

The recoil, however, had been obvious, and Deidara mentally patted himself on the back for a successful theory.

"Happy?" Sasuke grumbled, leaning away from Deidara in order to look at him.

"Very," the blond said. "I know why you keep missing."

The young man snorted. "You mean besides being a 'poorer shot than a drunken dog'?"

Deidara smiled. He felt that had been one of his better insults the day before.

"Yes," he replied. "I want you to shoot again, but this time, pay attention to your hand."

Sasuke did. His eyes widened after his shot.

"Oh," he said.

Deidara grinned, smug.

Sasuke looked at him. "How do I compensate for this?"

Deidara pointed to a seldom used outhouse, on the far edge of the field, beyond the enclosure.

"Follow me," he said, and walked to it. Sasuke followed, with a curious look. Deidara was struck by it for a moment, surprised at how inormal/i it looked on him.

When they arrived, Deidara told Sasuke to aim at the wall.

"What?" Sasuke said, incredulous. "I don't ineed/i to aim to hit this."

The look Deidara garnered would have had Sasori laughing for sure, he thought sourly.

"Step further back," Deidara said. "Aim at a specific spot... oh, like this one." And snatching a blade from the boy (which had Sasuke snapping at him to _give it back..._), he made an X in the middle of the wall.

"This is stupid," Sasuke stated.

"You're the one who wanted me to teach you," Deidara replied cheerfully.

"I'm not doing this."

"Then I'll just go back and you can find your own way home. Or to Itachi. Whichever."

Sasuke continued to look stubborn for another moment, and then he took his stance. Deidara watched him, as he had watched him earlier and the day before, and watched as he missed the spot by inches.

"You compensate by judging how much the recoil affects your aim," Deidara said. He walked up to the wall and pointed at the X. "You aimed here," and then his finger moved to where Sasuke had hit, "but instead hit here. You already know how hand movement affects aim. Now you need to be able to calculate for movement you can't control."

Sasuke was looking at the wall thoughtfully, and then looked at Deidara. For the first time, he saw something like respect in the young man's gaze.

It bothered Deidara, but he couldn't pinpoint why. He stepped back and motioned for the young man to try again.

Sasuke did. This time, he hit closer.

Deidara smiled.

* * *

"Where's your friend at?" Sasuke asked Deidara later in the day as he followed the blond into the house.

"Away on business," Deidara replied, heading to the cupboard to see what dry foods Sasori had left them. He grimaced at what he found.

"How long?"

"A week."

Sasuke fell silent after that, though Deidara could feel his eyes follow him as he headed to the cellar to see what kinds of meat (if any) Sasori had brought. He went in and was relieved at the selection. Looking around, Deidara decided on a large bundle of what appeared to be ham.

"Why did you make me come in here?" Sasuke said at last, after Deidara had reemerged from the cellar with the bundle in his arms.

"Thought you might be hungry," the blond replied before dropping his load on the kitchen counter. "Start the fire, will you? I like my meat crispy."

Sasuke grimaced, but didn't move.

"Not hungry?"

"Not in this house, no."

Deidara shrugged and turned back to the counter. He began rifling through the drawers looking for a carving knife. It didn't take him long - Sasori owned a lot of knives. He was amused at the assortment, and not sure which to use.

"Aren't you disgusted?" Sasuke burst out a few moments later while Deidara was comparing knives.

"Oh? You're still here?" he said, not bothering to look back at the young man. He lifted out what appeared to be the largest knife in the drawer, held it high and began to inspect it.

"This place is _filthy_!" Sasuke continued, a mixture of disgust and alarm in his voice. "How can you eat..."

"Sasori cleaned it before he left," Deidara replied absently, still concentrating on the knife.

There was silence for a moment. "I had wondered about the smell..."

"Ham?" Deidara asked again, deciding the knife would do.

"I suppose."

The blond began to carve the meat as Sasuke moved further in and sat down on a chair.

"That ham is bleeding," Sasuke said. "Is it supposed to bleed?"

"Gives it flavor. Fire now?"

It didn't take long after that for Sasuke to fix the fire, or for Deidara to roast (or burn as Sasuke claimed) the ham.

"Is this it?" Sasuke asked doubtfully as Deidara handed him a plate full of blackened meat.

"Vegetables are for women," Deidara replied, and threw a fork at Sasuke.

Sasuke snatched the fork before it could land. He poked at the meat with it, grimacing at the cracks that resulted from it. He used the fork to cut off a piece before bringing it to his mouth.

"I'm surprised you know how to use that," Deidara said, observing him.

The young man shrugged, his hand paused with the bit of meat still on the fork. "I had to get used to it. I was down in that city for a while before I came across you." He bit into the ham and grimaced.

"Ah," Deidara said, amused.

"This is the worst food I've ever had," Sasuke snapped, pushing the plate away.

"Next time you can cook it then," Deidara said, using his own fork to dice the meat in front of him.

Sasuke looked at him. "I didn't realize that was an option."

Deidara ate.

The young man sighed. He stood and made his way out into the front room, and Deidara watched him, chewing thoughtfully. He listened as he ate, to the curses the young man let out whenever he stumbled over something, to the movements of different items in the room.

"Deidara?" Sasuke called out. He came back into view, holding a familiar portrait in his hand. "Who is this woman?" he asked, holding it up.

Deidara froze, fork hovering midway between the plate and his mouth. "Why do you asked?"

Sasuke looked at it curiously. "It was the only thing clean in that other room." The look on his face when he looked back at Deidara would have had him bursting out loud if not for the picture in his hand. It was a look that clearly said, "_I thought you said this place was clean._"

"A woman Sasori knew," Deidara said flatly, lowering his fork to rest on the plate.

"Where is she?"

"Dead."

Sasuke's gaze changed to one of calculation. "You knew her, too."

It was not a question.

Deidara simply returned his gaze before nodding once, sharply.

"What happened to her?"

"That," Deidara said with narrowed eyes, "is none of your goddamn business."

Sasuke stepped back, his own eyes widening at the fierceness in Deidara's voice.

The blond man stood.

"I'm going to clean our mess up, and then we're going to clean house." He looked pointedly at the portrait. "You can start by putting that back where you found it."

He grabbed the plates and what remained of the cooked food and turned his back on Sasuke. Behind him, he heard the young man move away.

He only saw the boy a couple times after that. It didn't take Deidara long to clean up the mess he had made in the kitchen, and the only time Sasuke spoke to him was to ask where he could find what he needed to clean. After that, they went their separate ways: Sasuke, to clean the front room and whatever else that might be done the first floor, and Deidara to the second floor to start clearing out some of the rooms.

He'd known that Sasori had had more than enough room for the both of them, but even he had been wary of seeing the state of the second floor with the utter disaster the bottom floor had been. Safer, he had assumed, to remain sleeping near the front room fireplace than to possibly deal with whatever else could be roaming the upper floor.

So to say that Deidara had been shocked at how iclean/i the second floor was would be an understatement.

"That fucking asshole..." he breathed as he roamed from room to room, seeing the immaculate state it was all in. He wondered for a moment if this, too, might have been part of Sasori's cleaning spree, but he really doubted it.

Obvious, now, that Sasori spent a great deal of time at the house. Obvious, also, that he didn't eat at home much.

Curious, then, why he wasn't there now.

Deidara chose a room for himself. He remained there, until he heard Sasuke yell for him from the bottom of the stairs.

* * *

**Closing Notes**: I wasn't expecting this chapter to take as long as it did (considering I've been going at it, in some form, off and on since October), but I am glad that I didn't sit on it once I felt it was done.

This chapter came easier towards the end, with the last two scenes pretty much writing themselves. I plan on heading straight into chapter four (and all I'll say about that is that it'll be the last time those two will be at Sasori's home), so cross your fingers and hope it comes out sooner rather than later. I'm hoping not to get stuck again (which happened with this chapter... I started a rough in October that I scrapped in December, and the first scene of this story has been written since then, with the last two scenes having been composed in the last week. I work really quick when motivated), so I'm going to take the steam I got from ending this chapter and head right into the next.

On another note, I appreciate all of the feedback I get so very much, and I can't tell you how much I love hearing from everyone. I like hearing from people as well (on IM!), and all of my contact info is in my profile, as well as a (not even barely used) forum. I've also got a fic comm on Livejournal, for those with LJ's, and I usually always post the rough drafts of what I'm currently working on there. It's locked to the comm while it's in progress, but the comm is open. I do it that way as I often write on break and on lunch, and it's easier not to have to drag around a flashdrive with me.

Right now, the thought is that this fic will be twelve chapters long. As I get closer to the finish, that number could go either up or down, but I think I have it narrowed pretty well.

Again, thank you all for the feedback and wonderful comments, and I hope you like this chapter.


	4. The Start

_Disclaimer: The series Naruto and all of its characters do not belong to me. I am merely borrowing them for the duration of this story, and receive no profit from it._

* * *

Chapter Four  
_The Start_

The week flew by.

It didn't take much for Deidara to convince Sasuke to choose a room. He'd almost been able to convince him to choose Sasori's (mostly out of spite), but the young man was a little too perceptive, and wouldn't budge past the doorway. Pity.

It didn't take much teaching after that day for Sasuke to adapt to gunfighting. By the end of the week, Deidara started him on how to aim while moving about, and after a few hiccups, Sasuke was shooting as if he had been born with a gun. The blond couldn't wait to shove it in Sasori's face.

Deidara was relaxing in the living room on the day Sasori came back, while Sasuke continued to practice with the gun outside. He'd found a stash of cigars in the redhead's room, and was enjoying one when he saw the outside door open. He waved merrily at Sasori, who froze as soon as he had seen Deidara.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sasori said mildly, adjusting the packages he was holding in his arms. Deidara suspected he had another ham.

"Enjoying myself," Deidara replied, attempting to blow a smoke ring.

Sasori watched the attempt, with a tick in one eye. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Probably."

"I thought I told you never to go into my room."

Deidara shrugged with a lazy grin. He took another drag on the cigar, and blew the smoke in Sasori's direction.

"Fucking no-good lazy... go smoke on the porch!" Sasori snarled, waving the smoke away and striding past him towards the kitchen. Deidara followed.

"I was surprised to find the second floor clean," Deidara said in a bored voice, leaning up against the frame leading from the front room to the kitchen.

"I can't work in filth," the redhead snapped, separating the goods he had brought. "Shouldn't you be out there teaching that little bastard?"

"Nope," Deidara replied, unable to hide the triumph he felt at Sasuke's accomplishments. "He's beyond me now."

Sasori paused and looked at him. "_What?_" he said, incredulous. "You must be worse with a gun than I thought."

Deidara refused to be baited. "Go take a look for yourself."

Sasori twisted around to look at back door. He looked at Deidara, and then back again.

"Put this shit away," he said, and walked out of the kitchen. Deidara did as he was told.

He lingered in the cellar, though, taking stock of the meats Sasori brought, and frowned. There was more than he had left last time. And he grimaced when he noticed three times the vegetables.

"Damn it," he muttered, before leaving everything in a pile.

When he stepped outside, he first noticed the way Sasuke was holding himself. Stiff, defensive, and it looked like he was trying to look back at the house without appearing to be looking. But Deidara blinked, and then Sasuke looked the same as always. He frowned as he walked towards the pair of them.

Sasori was growling something at Sasuke, and as Deidara closed in on them, he heard, "and don't think I'll let you get away with..." but the redhead trailed off as he noticed Deidara.

"Took you fucking long enough," he snapped at the blond.

Deidara shrugged. "There was a lot of shit to put away. You two having fun out here?"

Sasuke snorted.

"This little fucker has been showing me how piss poor he still is," Sasori growled. "Better than you, my ass."

That made Deidara frown, and he turned that frown on Sasuke.

Sasuke scowled. "This _idiot_ kept giving me impossible targets! Like I can hit a tree that far away!"

The young man pointed to a tree just on the far side of the enclosure.

"Why not?" Deidara said, still frowning. "You can hit it with your little ninja knife, right?"

"Yes..."

"Then just remember how you did that, and what you've learned."

"But...!"

Deidara's frown turned into a glare, and he walked close to Sasuke, putting a hand on his should as he leaned down to snarl in his ear, "Listen, you thrice-damned little fucker - you've already embarrassed me once in front of _my_ teacher. Don't fucking do it again. Now stop playing around and goddamn _do it_!"

Sasuke paled and took a step back to look at Deidara with wide eyes, rubbing his shoulder all the while. He nodded once, and turned around.

He took aim, and shot.

"Well, I'll be damned," Sasori said, surprised. He looked at Deidara sharply. "You didn't throw out the vegetables did you?"

Deidara scowled.

"You brought vegetables this time?" Sasuke said. Deidara switched the scowl to him.

"This time?" Sasori said, frowning. "Did Deidara throw out the ones I left?"

Sasuke glared at Deidara.

"He does that," Sasori muttered. He frowned thoughtfully at Sasuke. "I suppose it's a good thing I'm staying here this week. Looks like Deidara has taken you as far as he can go."

"What do you mean," Sasuke said, looking now at Sasori.

"He's always been a better shot than me," Deidara replied instead. "He knows more tricks than I do."

"Which you _would_ have learned if you had ever left your little toys alone long enough to do so," Sasori said dryly.

Deidara shrugged.

"...do I _have_ to?" Sasuke asked, uncertain. He was looking at Deidara.

Both men looked at him, surprised.

"Well, yeah," Deidara said. "Trust me, you want to know what he does."

Sasuke nodded, but he didn't look happy about it.

"You'll be cooking tonight, Deidara," Sasori said. "I want to get a move on with the brat's training."

_Now_ Sasuke looked horrified. Deidara grinned.

"Sure," he said, and headed back to the house.

"Don't burn the food," Sasori shouted behind him. "And cook some fucking vegetables!"

* * *

"You surprised me," Sasori said later that evening during dinner.

"Didn't take him long to run out of here," Deidara mused, ignoring Sasori, looking back where Sasuke had just left.

Sasori rolled his eyes. "Focus, boy, focus." The redhead took another bit of the meat, and grimaced at the crunch. He spat it back out, and wiped his mouth before looking back at the blond. "I wasn't expecting this kind of improvement. Didn't even think the little bastard would be hitting the front post, let alone a tree that far."

Deidara smiled. "I had faith."

"Like hell you did." He waved his fork around. "What the fuck happened while I was gone?"

"He's still an Uchiha," Deidara said, leaning back in his chair. "He didn't know about recoil. After that, everything else was simple."

"Huh." Sasori pushed his meat around his plate. "I guess he'll be of some use after all."

"That was the hope."

He looked at Deidara sharply. "And you?"

"And me, what?"

"Do any thinking while I was gone?"

Deidara cocked an eyebrow. "Plenty."

"And?"

Deidara grinned. "The less you know, the better."

Sasori smirked. "So that's how it is, hmm?"

"How long do you think you'll need with Sasuke?"

"First name basis, now?" Sasori tapped his plate thoughtfully. "Few days, at least. Maybe five. That boy is quick... I wasn't expecting it." He grimaced. "So much for months."

Deidara chuckled. But Sasori concentrated on his food after that, and Deidara chose to look out through the window.

"Sasori?"

The other man glanced at him.

"How were things in town?"

"Nothing to worry about," Sasori said dismissively. "I had a contact come in, and a couple of our own, but there was nothing to raise an alarm about. Itachi is pretty fucking livid, I might add."

Deidara frowned. "How can anyone tell?"

"Hidan claimed his eyes are twitching a little more frequently."

Deidara hummed, thoughtful. Sasori looked at him suspiciously.

"Whatever you're planning, don't."

Deidara gave him a wicked grin. "And what makes you think I'm planning something?"

Sasori pointed at him. "I know that expression. I don't know what caused it, but I know it means too much trouble for me. So, don't."

Deidara shrugged. Sasori sighed.

"I'd heard a rumor, a long time ago, that Itachi was thinking of going rogue," Deidara said, idly.

Sasori froze.

"Not exactly a rumor, hmm?"

Sasori swallowed. "No, not exactly. How did you hear about that?"

Deidara just grinned.

"God_dammit_, Deidara..." Sasori rubbed his face. "It was only a fucking rumor."

"Mmm."

He looked at the blond sharply. Deidara just grinned at him.

"I need to go into town," he said.

Sasori's eyes widened in alarm. "Why?"

"You're not the only one with contacts," Deidara said. "Besides, this meeting was arranged before I even got here."

Sasori's eyes narrowed. "If you do _anything_ that'll bring attention to this town..."

Deidara shook his, and with a lazy grin said, "Relax. Even _I_ am not that stupid."

The redhead snorted.

Deidara rolled his eyes. "Just don't worry about it. Just focus on the brat, and after this week, we'll both be out of your hair."

Sasori looked surprised. "This soon?"

"This was never something that could wait, and you knew it." Deidara's grin was razor sharp. "Especially when it's only a matter of time before Itachi manages to track us down."

"Do you know how you'll manage to avoid it?"

"I don't plan to. I just need to make sure he never knew we were here."

Sasori stared at the blond for a moment before shaking his head in disgust. "I suppose I should be grateful than that at least." He stood. "I'll make sure you get a decent funeral. She would have wanted that for you, at least."

"Always the optimist."

* * *

The one thing that Deidara had always hated was the occasional need to dress up as the other gender.

Sasori had claimed it was the long hair that brought it on, but others had mentioned it was also the way Deidara sometimes carried himself. Including his own mother. Nevertheless, when the need to remain anonymous came up, he usually donned a dress and a fairly concealing hat, and then went about his business.

In this case, it was easier to be seen as a woman meeting another woman, rather than a man meeting with another woman, if for no other reason than to keep people from looking at them in curiosity.

"You're late," his contact said idly, watching Deidara wrestle with his skirts as he sat down.

"The dress tripped me up," he remarked idly, being careful not to stab too many more holes in the bottom of his dress with the heels. He fucking hated heels.

The girl grinned at him, eyes barely visible under her own hat. "Could have fooled me."

He shrugged, and was about to answer, when a loud noise from one end of the saloon caused him to look over for a moment.

There weren't many people in the saloon at this time of day. Most people in town worked during the daylight hours, and Deidara had chosen to meet his contact in one of the more classy saloons, in hopes of avoiding anyone Sasori might know. There was a man playing on the piano in one corner, and a group of wealthy men, merchants Deidara guessed by their attire, playing cards. He turned back to the girl in front of him.

"I've heard that's not difficult, Tayuya," Deidara said dryly.

"Funny, Deidara," Tayuya said with a scowl. "Now, what the fuck do you want this time?"

"I need out."

She blinked. "And what's different from the last fucking time?"

"For one, I have something he might be interested in."

She looked at him skeptically. "Doubtful. Anyway, he doesn't let just anyone in." Her eyes narrowed. "Especially not traitorous little fucks like you."

Deidara stared at her, all humor gone. "I wasn't feeding information to your organization on a whim, bitch. And I was given a guarantee from Kabuto himself."

"There was a condition, and you haven't fulfilled it."

"I understand this. And I'm going to."

She snorted, and raised her cup to her lips. "This isn't the first time you've said that, asshole," she said, and took a drink. The color on her lips left a residue on the rim of her glass. It reminded him of the colors favored by the whores in the city.

Much like the one he had used on himself for this little outing.

"But this is the first time I'm giving you a date."

She put her cup back on the table, and studied him. "Okay, yeah, that would be different." She looked at him expectedly.

"I want you to tell your boss that in a month's time I'll be brining him the heads of two of Akatsuki's elite."

Tayuya arched an eyebrow. "Two, huh? Got any names for me?"

"Hidan and Kakuzu," Deidara said with a grin. Across from him, Tayuya's eyes widened.

"Ambitious," she said. "Especially on your own."

Deidara laughed. "Who said I'd be doing this on my own?"

She frowned. "You don't _have_ a partner anymore." She tilted her head, curious despite herself. "Earlier... you said you knew something he'd want."

"Not something, someone. Itachi's little brother will be coming with me."

"Fucking hell," Tayuya said with crazy grin. "You _have_ been busy."

Deidara laughed. But before he could say anything else, one of the card playing merchants came up to him and asked him what his rates were.

Things degenerated from there.

* * *

**Closing Notes**: Are you shocked? Because _I_ am shocked. I mean, it's been like 2 or 3 days since the last chapter... and BAM, now this one is ready. I can only claim Hidan as my inspiration, because I've got some crazy stuff planned for me. Don't know if he'll be in the next chapter, but he's coming soon. Here's to hoping this writing spree lasts!

As always, if mistakes are noticed, I'm begging you to leave me a line. I don't always notice, but will fix anything brought to my attention. I don't bite! Honest!


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